Log analysis software helps enable the documentation of application log files for records and analytics. This type of software provides tools to increase the collection of logs as well as centralized databases for storing data. Furthermore, log analysis tools include analytics components such as prebuilt dashboards to identify the cause and impact of events, while also offering the ability to query the logs to discover actionable data. Monitoring features also form a large component of log analysis; these features, sometimes powered by machine learning, help detect, predict, and prevent future anomalies. Companies use this data to better understand performance failures, remediate them, and learn how to prevent them in the future, with a goal of improved application performance and reliability.
Some application performance monitoring (APM) software, container management software, and enterprise monitoring software offer log analytics features, but typically do not focus on log management specifically. Business users looking to analyze log data in real time can leverage stream analytics software and analyze data transferred among a whole range of internet of things (IoT) endpoints and devices, including smart cars, machinery, or home appliances.
To qualify for inclusion in the Log Analysis category, a product must:
Document operations and authentication events
Assist in mapping, tagging, and classifying logs
Store logs in a centralized location
Provide analytics features, such as dashboards, to identify causation and event prediction
Allow the user to search and filter logs